This was my first waltz with the pattern and it won't be the last. It's 100% pure Elizabeth Zimmermann: clever, useful, adaptable, addictive. As with most of her designs, variations are numberless and I humbly add mine, with all its flaws and fudges, to the pile.

Ages ago I promised a demonstration of the garter stitch jacquard technique and am now renewing that promise, although I won't get to it this week. I have so many deadlines to meet that I dare not contemplate them in aggregate or they'll drive me straight to the fainting couch with a bottle of sal volatile.

I can promise that blog posts will be thin on the ground this month, but don't forget me. I'll be back.

80 comments:

I knit a tomten years ago, after somehow buying Knitting Without Tears. Didn't know other knitters, had not a clue about who EZ was. One of those deals where all I can do is send the gratitude out for whomever it's meant for.

Simply awe-inspiring! Lucky Abigail, to receive such a lovely piece of knitting. Look forward to your tutorial on the jacquard. Won't forget you...your blog is one of the daily stops when doing my internet stuff. Take care and don't let those deadlines beat you down. - Joe, in Wyoming

Oh, we'll keep the nest warm (have you notified the Authorities to keep an eye on the place? Your distraction might be seen as "absence" by Dolores, and you don't need astonishment, horror, incredulity - or heavy fines. If some of the deadlines have to do with the book, consider us silently pouring the juice and replenishing to sammiches. We know patience is a virtue but we're waiting for our FRANKLIN BOOK here!! (My code word is "Oghar" - I am SO stealing that as a name for one of my characters....)

I have forgotten three forgettable ex-boyfriends, four lousy jobs, six credit-hours of useless classes, and twenty dumb things W has said to make sure I won't forget you. Enjoy your retreat into the whirl of creativity that is your delightful brain.

What a lovely tomten! I'll bet EZ would have been charmed. (Maybe, somewhere, she is!) I love the way your pattern - jacquard? - actually shapes the coat - did you know it would do that before you started or was it a mid-project burst of designing inspiration? well done, either way!

Just get cracking and get back to us as quickly as you can. I wnat that book!

If you want, I can invite Delores to NY, give her a couple of bucks as seed money, and tell her to meet me under the clock in Grand Central in three, maybe four, weeks. I am sure that Delores will rise to our full expectations.

You will get done what needs getting done and poor Harry will have some peace and quiet.

And, Abigail's newest gift from her lovin' uncle is absolutely fabulous. Love the colors and the creative personalization of your work.

Stunning, Franklin. I'm an EZ fan, too, but had never even considered doing something like this. My Tomten is half done and in a basket. . . has been for years, as I haven't had any small people in my family for quite awhile. I thought it would be a good learning experience, but garter stitch. . . well. I've been on a lace binge ever since. You made this design your own. I can hardly wait to learn the techniques you used. :-)

Magnificent! I am (still) waiting anxiously for the garter stitch jacquard tutorial, since the only non-knitting machine entry in Google is your teaser. Any suggestions for (in print) resources in the meantime?

What a beautiful Tomten. I'm sure St. Elizabeth is smiling down on you from heaven! And, your little niece is one lucky baby to be the recipient of your creative, lovingly- knitted gifts for her.

The Tomten is one of my EZ favorites, and I have always used variegated yarn for the "wow" factor. But, now you have given me an idea to bring future Tomtens up to a whole new level, using solid color yarns!

Oh, how lovely! I'm going to have to do one of these. Your embellishments to the design are marvelous. Count me among those who will be interested to hear about the jaquard garter stitch technique. (I find plain garter stitch not interesting enough to hold my attention, which is one of the reasons I haven't tried this yet.)

And- when you have the chance- I'd love to see finished pics of the little Norwegian sweater (I'm guessing that since we saw them blocked, the sweater will be done presently.)

I have been fiddling with garter stitch jacquard ever since you mentioned it, and it keeps coming up with little gaps at the color changes. Very excited to see how you did it, and if my problem is my own impatience.Abigail is one lucky niece.

i have knit 5 of them.. and they have been worn to pieces by their recipients. i think this jacquard garter is a genius addition to the jacket and a lovely matrimony between the wild and generous elizabeth and the strict and meticulous montse. abigail will also wear this to pieces and i will have to try jacquard garter pretty soon. congratulations. refreshingly new take on tomten.

I've made it once, in some of my first handspun in dark chocolate brown with a couple of rows of red stitching where I picked up the sleeves. It looked like red piping and was astonishingly handsome. My 6 year old son didn't want a hood, so I made a standup collar.

One of the best things about it is it stretches and can be worn for a long time by a growing child.

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